Two days gone
by nattlouu
Summary: Tag to PPF 11x02 - Little One shot that came to my mind, a chat between two friends. And in my mind what should have happened at the end of the episode. Mentions of Tiva


**A/N; Just a little one shot that came to mind, it was really infuriating that we never got to see McGee or Abby's reaction to Ziva not coming home. Anyway I have now decided I am going to ignore everything that happened after PPF and I am hoping this is going to kind of correct a huge wrong. A little chat between Tim and Tony.**

 **Disclaimer – I do not own NCIS.**

 **Two days gone.**

Special Agent Tim McGee was worried. It had been two days since the flight landed back in D.C. Two days since his friend had come home but no one had seen him. He tried calling, even texting the odd ' _How you doing'_ even calling around to his to see him. But nothing. So, this is why he was now stood outside the bar watching through the window. Watching his friend down his 4th drink of the night. He pulled his phone out and quickly typed a message to Abby and placed his phone back in his pocket. He went back to watching for a while.

Even from this distance he could see the hurt on his face. He could see the pain running through every ounce of his body. Tim sighed, even he was hurting. He remembered the very quick chat with his boss.

 _"Boss, you heard from Tony?" McGee asked as his boss walked into the bull pen, the tired and stressed look on his face told him everything he needed to know. "She isn't coming back is she?" McGee asked after a while, Gibbs sighed and shook his head._

Tim rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath. He knew this was going to be hard on the team, but most of all on his friend. He opened the door into the bar as the loud music and smell of alcohol hit he took a few steps and watched again. No movement from him, only the odd time he lifted his drink up. Taking a few more strides past some very happy customers Tim finally reached him. He took a seat next to his friend and waited for him to realise he was there.

The bar man walked over and took McGee's order of a beer and after a while placed it in front of him, all this time he still wasn't talking. McGee took a few sips maybe Dutch courage and finally broke the silence that had descended on them.

"Gibbs spoke to me" Tim started, he heard a sigh and watched as his buddy down the rest of his drink, as he raised his hand to signal the bar man, Tim reached over and lowered his hand for him. Tony finally looked at him, he looked a mess. He had shaven but he still looked a mess. Bags under his eyes signalling either jet leg or no sleep. Tim nodded to signal his friend to start talk.

"Yeh, well that's it" Tony sighed, he once again lifted his hand and shouted for the barman to come over. Tim had no fight in him. Again, silence fell between the friends as Tim took a few more sips.

"How did it go?" Tim spoke up, he glanced to his side and watched as Tony looked away.

"Go? Well I am here she is there so yeh McGenuis went really well" Tim heard the harsh and hurt tone mixed together,

"Well how long? I mean she has to come back-"Tim noticed the sudden stare of Tony and trailed off.

"What part of she isn't come back do you not get" Tony snapped, Tim stayed silent for a few seconds and studied Tony again.

"Tony, what happened?" Tim finally asked. Tony huffed a little took one long drink of his new drink and turned to his friend.

"she wanted to stay, wanted to find herself, she wanted to give up the badge" Tony had a sudden flashback of the olive grove, the _I will_ list, begging her to come home "I asked her to come home, with me" Tony picked up his glass and downed the rest of his whiskey he placed the glass down and looked back of Tim "but she said no" Tony finished. Tim watched as hurt was etched over his face.

"Have you spoke to her since you landed back?" Tony shook his head and subconsciously pulled his phone out, he pressed the button, his screen lit up, but there was no text or call. He threw his phone on the bar and leant with his elbows. The alcohol was now taking effect, a little relief of the pain he had.

"I…can't" Tony mumbled "I don't think she wants to" he finished. He thought many times about ringing her he even thought about giving it all up and flying back out there. But he knew she wanted to be alone and that killed him.

"Maybe some space will help her, you know clear her head and…" Tim trailed off "And come home" he finished "time is a great healer Tony, give her time" Tim took a few more sips of his beer and placed the bottle down. Silence once again fell between the two friends.

"We talked, a lot, about her past, her mother, father Tali, Ari" Tony recalled in his head all the conversations he had in the very small amount of time they had together. "we even talked about…us" Tony trailed off, he caught Tim's look. It wasn't a shocked look, or even a look of surprise. It was a sorry look. Tim felt sorry for his friend. There was no denying that there was something between Tony and Ziva you would have been an idiot if you didn't. Tim knew deep down they truly cared for one another he would even go as far as love.

"Tony, you need to ring her" Tim spoke softly, Tony gave a grunt and shook his head. The alcohol was now in full swing.

"And say what McGenuis…Oh hey Zi how you doing just wanted to check on you, hey listen I know you told me you loved me but just want to let you know I'm doing good" Tony sat up straight wobbling a little on his chair. He rubbed his face in frustration. All Tony wanted to do was get drunk. Alone. "Listen Tim I appreciate this little self help thing but please just let me get drunk on my own" Tony mumbled, again raising his hand the bar man caught sight and without a word started to pour out a new glass of scotch.

"What happened in Israel?" Tim asked again after a while, Tony frowned and twitched in his chair he knew that probie wasn't going to leave this alone and him.

"Well you tell me what you want to know" Tony mumbled, he picked up his new drink and before he could even take one sip McGee pulled the drink out of his hand. Placing it out of reach he turned side on and stared at Tony.

"Excuse me I was going to drink that" Tony snapped, Tim carried on staring at Tony. He needed to get him talking he needed to help his friend.

"What happened?" Tim was a little sterner now. Tony gave in.

"I found her, a day before I told you and Gibbs, I needed that time on my own with her, no interference, we spoke, she was broke McGee, like a lost woman but she was still my Ziva deep down" Tony looked at his friend and gave a small smile, Tim sighed and reached over for the drink and handed it back, anything to keep him talking. Tony took a long gulp and started tracing the water drops down the glass. "We spoke about her I will list, I even said we could make a new one together, but she wanted to do it alone so I left her for a while and went for a walk, eventually I found her in her olive grove and she buried her new list you know what the first thing on it was? I will give up the badge…" There was pause. Tim just nodded and signalled for Tony to carry on. "I asked her to come home with me, you know be with me I even told her she can bag groceries" A small laugh left Tony at the thought. "Anyway, we ate dinner that night and then well let's say I broke rule 12" Tony sighed, he picked up the glass and took another sip. His head was now fuzzy and his stomach warning him to stop drinking.

"So, what happened then?" Tim urged on

"We spent the next day again talking, we both knew deep down that she wasn't coming home, she said too much pain was caused by her and she needed to heal, alone, it hurt, so that night she took me to the airport and we said our goodbye" Tony finished

"And that's when she told you?" Tim asked, Tony nodded and sighed

"And I was too dumb to tell her back, I just kissed her" Tony looked again at McGee and shrugged his shoulders. "She left this in my jacket" Tony pulled of the star of David from his jeans pocket and placed his carefully on the bar. Tim just sat and watched his friend. He downed the last of his beer and placed his hand on his friends back.

"Call her, tell her" Tim spoke, Tony shook his head once again at the idea "Tony, just call, what have you got to lose?" Tim asked. Tim reached over the bar and picked up Tony's phone, placing it in front of Tony he tapped the phone "Call" Tim finished. Taking out his wallet his fished out a $10 bill and placed on the bar. "Please, you may not get the answer you want or you may do but you need to tell her" Tim trailed off he slipped off the chair and straighten himself out. "It's one call" Tim finished and walked away. Tony watched as his friend walked out the bar and out of view.

Picking up his phone he debated whether to call or not. But the alcohol infused brain was winning. He pressed a few buttons and then call. It was ringing. Tony felt sick. He couldn't do it. He was about to hang up when the familiar Israeli accent answered the phone.

"Hey, sweetcheeks…" Tony started. "We need to talk"

 **A/N – I wrote this in like an hour so it's not the best, I hope you like. Happy Monday**

 **Nat x**


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